1856-58.] HIS FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY. 67 



diversity of creations, admitted and propagated by 

 Cuvier's school. The great misfortune of Agassiz's 

 " Essay " was that it came at an inopportune moment. 

 It was too late to do all the good that it ought to have 

 done ; and too soon, because of the discussion and pas- 

 sionate polemic raised by Darwin. If Agassiz had 

 waited three years longer, he would have given another 

 shape to his great generalization, and presented well- 

 digested views in opposition to the Lamarckian system 

 revived by Darwin. It is to be regretted that Agassiz 

 entered into personal encounters at meetings of acade- 

 mies and scientific societies, for, not being a good debater 

 like Cuvier, he failed to present the best part of his 

 argument; whereas, if in the calm of his library, he had 

 marshalled all his facts against natural selection, the 

 survival of the fittest, etc., he would have exerted a very 

 beneficial influence in the sort of unreasonable allure- 

 ment which induced a large number of semi-savants to 

 enter the path reopened by Darwin, to the conquest of 

 the creation and the Creator. 



As it is, however, Agassiz's " Essay" is a great work, 

 and will remain in the history of classification. Pecu- 

 niarially, also, it was a great success for both Agassiz 

 and the publishers. 



The issue of the first two volumes almost coincide 

 with the anniversary of his fiftieth birthday. At least 

 on that day, the 27th of May, 1857, the manuscript was 

 so far advanced, that he might justly have felt that he 

 had attained the end of his task. While hard at work, 

 at his library desk, as the clock struck twelve, musicians 

 stationed in front of his house began a serenade which 



